IN BREVE
- Big Wines is relinquishing the awards obtained at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2026 for the Big Wines Big Art and 46 Parallel Wine brands.
- The decision stems from the creation of a “Crimea” national category that admits wines not recognized as Ukrainian.
- The producer is protesting against the admission of Russian wines and companies active in Russian-occupied Crimea.
- The choice is supported by formal parliamentary inquiries submitted by Ukrainian MP Igor Fris.
- Big Wines affirms its support for international law and the territorial integrity of Ukraine, declaring that Crimea is Ukraine.
“We are relinquishing the awards obtained at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles competition, held in Armenia from May 21 to 23, 2026, for our brands Big Wines Big Art and 46 Parallel Wine. The decision is motivated by the fact that the organizing company has abused the trust of the participants by creating, at its own discretion, a national category called ‘Crimea’ and a region called ‘Crimea’.”
“In doing so, it allowed the participation of wines produced in the Autonomous Ukrainian Republic of Crimea in the competition, while refusing to recognize them as products made in the territory of Ukraine, which is occupied and still illegally controlled by the Russian Federation.”
HEAD-ON CLASH WITH CONCOURS MONDIAL DE BRUXELLES
Big Wines thus announces its withdrawal from the awards obtained at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2026 with the Big Wines Big Art and 46 Parallel Wine brands. The Ukrainian producer is turning its protest against the admission and awarding of Russian wines and companies active in occupied Crimea into a concrete gesture.
This stance follows that of Ukrainian MP Igor Fris, who submitted formal parliamentary inquiries to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economy, Agriculture, and the Security Services of Ukraine.
CMB 2026 AWARDS RUSSIAN WINES FROM OCCUPIED TERRITORIES: WINERY REJECTS MEDALS
A choice that affects all the awards given to the two Ukrainian brands during the session organized in Armenia by Vinopres, a company owned by the Belgian Baudouin family which holds the CMB brands. According to Big Wines, the organizing company allegedly “abused the trust of participants” by arbitrarily creating a country category called “Crimea” and a region once again indicated as “Crimea”.
A classification that allegedly allowed the participation of wines produced in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea without recognizing them as coming from Ukrainian territory occupied by the Russian Federation. “We support international law and the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Crimea is Ukraine,” concludes the statement released on social media by the producer.
The peninsula has been under de facto Russian control since February 2014, following a lightning military operation and a subsequent annexation referendum not recognized by almost the entire international community.
